C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment’s Travel Salary Index found average earnings of a “standard” travel job, defined as paying up to £40,000, rose by 7.81% to £26,337 last month. 

Calculated using all new vacancies registered during January, the figure represents the highest recorded wages since the index began in 2012 and is only the second time the £26,000 barrier has been breached.

However, a lack of high-paying executive placements saw salaries as a whole fall by 2.73% in the same period.

There was also a spike in new vacancies, more than doubling the number in December, and more than 140% more candidates than at the end of last year.

“After a very mixed 2019, it’s certainly encouraging to see the number of newly advertised travel jobs jumping to its highest January total for three years, and it’s also great to see the increase in new candidates beginning their job hunt,” said Barbara Kolosinska, director at C&M Travel Recruitment and C&M Executive Recruitment.
 
“For 2020 to be more successful than last year, we obviously need this to continue, and with wages for the typical job in travel jumping to a new high of £26,337, we will hopefully see lots of new candidates entering the market due to the attractive salaries on offer.”